The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-01-20
sANTISEPT1G .SURGEKY5S
PROGRESS MADE m THE ART
s.. WITHIN A FEW YEARS.
improved Methods Of Surgery which
Produce Astounding Results-Healins
OF wounds BY .First Intention"-Ne-
cessity 81 misunderstanding.

Of swounds BY ..First Intention"-Ne-
cessity 81 misunderstanding.
Fifty years ago, on the minutes of tho
:pmnsylpania hospital In this city, especial
mention was mado of tho fact that an
amputated finger had healed by "frst
Intention ~ that Is, without tho process
of suppuration and granulation, which is
the usual mode by which tissues heal.
At the present time 1t Is usual, and not
unusual, to have an amputated leg heal
by the ssfrst Intention" as well as tho
wounds. made In the performance OF
nearly all major and minor operations OF
( surgery. ~
So rapid has been the progress in the
improved methods Of what Is known as
aIltiseptic surgery that many medical
men are astounded to hear of the results
that are being obtained, and the general
! public arc not at all aware Of the great
advances In thefsnrgical art. Indeed, an
tisephc surgery has been In Its infancy
F for less than a dozen years, and has only
received its perfect application within
few months.
In the human body there exists reGar-
ative power: by which the separated frag-
ments Of broken bone are united and the
cut surfaces Of wound nre united. The
simplest mode Of healing an open wound
is by the .flrst Intention or immediate
union, 'ssfors witch; surgeons have aimed
for hundreds 8 Of years. They had OBJ
served tt IN rare instances, and looked
upon 1t as possibility; but, as previously
stated, they seldom succeeded In getting
it. and the instances in which they did
get It were deserving Of special note. It
union fails by the ssflrst intention" In
flammation supervenes, and healing is ac-
complished by o long and tedious process
OF suppuration and granulation, requiring
several weeks or perhaps months for tho
closure Of wound Of any considerable
size. And this is always connected with
great drain on the vital forces, and dam
ger from blood poisoning.
TIE MODERN METHOD.
What Is antiseptic SURGERY It con-
sists of certain precautions and apph.
-ances for. the exclusion of the mir, and
with the air Of tho numerous germs OF
disease and putrefaction which float in
It, and the application of a germicide,
which destroys the vitality Of these germs
during and after operation. The more
perfectly this is done the more likely will
there be procured the primary union, or
union by first intention" Everybody
knows that cut Of a finger, Il promptly
tiled up and kept ut rest, will heal readily;
but It it be neglected and allowed to get
particles of dirt and the germs OF disease
into 1t there Is considerable inflammation,
the injured member becomes painful and
swollen, discharges matter and is slow to
heal. Antiseptic surgery aims at the SIM
pEcity Of domestic practice-the accurate
{ Scoaptation Of the parts, provision being
made for the free discharge of secretions
from the wound and the seclusion Of the
( air and germs Of disease. BY the adoption
OF antiseptic measures the surgeon simply
follows NATURES indication. He puts the
parts In the, best possible condition to heal
and nature does the healing.
The methods adopted in order to secure
this success. are simple, and but little
more expensive, considering the first cost,
but infinitely less costly than the old way
OF dressing, when consideration is made
for the time .and waste Of repeated dress
ings, and the lessened risk Of blood poison
Ing and death from exhaustion from pro-
longed suppuration. -
"a. e CLEANLINESS ESSENTIAL.
The most essential element In antiseptio
surgery Is cleanliness. The part to be
operated upon, or the point Of injury and
adjacent tissue; Is first Thoroughly
scrubbed with soap and o fine brush. 1t
! isst then shaved to remove hair and dead
scutaneous cells, and afterwards washed
with ether, to remove fat and oily matter.
4 It Is thsn washed with an antiseptic solu-
tion, and the operation is begun. Asman
stream Of the solution is played upon the
parts at short intervals as the operation
progresses Every opening In the tissues
iswashed out with this solution. The parts
are brought together with catgut sutures,
which have been rendered aseptic, and
Z these sutures arc absorbed; consequently,
there Is nothing to come away. Catgut,
being an animal tissue, Is capable Of ab-
sorption, and is used for Hgaturing vessels,
sewing up the parts, and for drainage.
For this purpose several strands are placed
. In the deeper part Of o wound and drain
+ by capillarity. After there are no further
secretions these are absorbed.
After the superficial opening has been
closed and the edges brought into close
opposition, q strip of protective" is laid
over tho line ofSutures. Over this Is spread
"a fold Of. several thicknesses Of gauze, an
tiseptically prepared, and busted thickly
on its surface with iodoform. Over this Is
placed cotton, also rendered antiseptic, and
the whole dressing is confined in place by
roller bandages. This dressing Is put on
.wet-all wet, and almost dripping with
the antiseptic solution. The dressing is
not changed, unless there Is some sign that
nil "a 1,nt doiny we'll .11ntil a Y,ronar time
has elapsed and 1t is known that the parts
have healed. Under these methods hos.
pita1. agangrene and erysipelas are very
rarely encountered, and there IS so little
discharge OF -pus that recently 1t was Inn
possible to get enough for sample for
exhibition to class at medical. college.
This method, with slight changcsin the
detail, Is now employed at every good hos
pital In the country and by every surgeon
who is up with the times. Philadelphia
North American.
Food Consumed by Stock.